Gun carriage



Oct. 22, 1935. E, Q @EBERT 2,017,857

GUN CARRIAGE Filed Feb. 1, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Elmer E- Euehert j/MZM Oct. 22, 1935. E. c. GOEBERT GUN CARRIAGE Filed Feb. 1, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I Invencur Elmer E- Euehert Attur ne Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES GUN CARRIAGE Elmer C. Goebert, United States Army,

Philadelphia, Pa.

Application February 1, 1934, Serial No. 709,345

3 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370. 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a gun carriage.

Field gun carriages and mounts are equipped with long emplacing members such as outriggers and trails in order to give satisfactory stability during firing. In the case of split or divided trails, their outer ends are spaced a considerable distance and on ground that is not level the result is to transversely incline the gun trunnions. The necessary mechanism to compensate for errors arising out of elevating and traversing the gun on an inclined plane is usually incorporated in the sighting system of the gun.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an emplacing member or trail of the horizontally swinging type which may be rigidly connected and locked to the gun pedestal in various positions of vertical adjustment whereby they may engage uneven ground without disturbing the level position of the pedestal.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a gun carriage with its trails in different positions of vertical adjustment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section of the joint of one of the trails.

Fig. 3 is a view of the joint vation and partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is shown a gun mount consisting of a pedestal or bottom carriage A supported by a wheeled axle unit B and by a pair of trails C and supporting a top carriage D in which a gun cradle E is trunnioned as at F.

Referring to Figs. 3-6 the connection between each of the trails C and the bottom carriage A comprises a vertically disposed hinge pin 5 mountpartly in side eleed on a horizontally disposed pivot pin 6 which passes through spaced lugs 1-1 secured .to the top plate 8 of the carriage A. The lower end of. the hinge pin 5 is inserted in an aperture 9 in a shoe II] that rides on a guide block I I fixed to the bot- 5 tom plate 52 or the carriage A. The contacting surfaces of the shoe and guide block are formed 7 on a curve having the pin 6 as a center. A tongue l3 on the shoe l0 fits in a channel it of'the guide block and restrains the vertical hinge pin against 10 lateral displacement during its swingingmovement about the pivot pin 6.

The shoe ID is disposed between the arms I5-l 5 of a yoke l6 and is connectedthereto by means of a pair of trunnions H-ll secured in opposite 15 sides of the shoe and each journaled in a block I 8 riding in a vertical slot [9 in an arm l5.

A screw shaft 20 fast on the yoke is journaled in a pair of bearings 2| and 22 respectively carried by 7 standards 23 and 24 secured to the bottom plate 20 I2 of the carriage A. A nut 25 on the screw shaft is restrained againsttranslational movement by the bearings and standards so'that it will be capable, on rotation, of displacing the screw shaft. The nut includes a gear wheel 26 25 meshing with a gear wheel 2'! Fig. 2 on an operating shaft 28. The shaft 28 is carried by standards 29-40 and'is rotated by means of a reversible ratchet wrench generally indicated at 3!.

The trail C includes a top plate 32, a bottom plate 33 and side plates 34-34. The inner end of the trail includes a heavycylinder ,35 through which the vertical hinge pin 5 passes.

When it is desired to angularly displace the trail C with respect to the bottom carriage A, the 3s shaft 28 is actuated to rotate the nut 25 and thereby cause the screw' shaft 20 to be axially moved. The yoke IE on the screw shaft consequently moves the shoe l0 and the associated hinge pin 5 and trail 0, the 'pin 5 moving about to its pivot pin 6. The actuating mechanism also serves to rigidly lock the trail and bottom carriage and there will be no relative movement between these parts even when they are subjected to the firing stresses of the gun.

When the gun mount is arranged for traveling the trails C are swung together and brought into a common plane.

While the trail connection has been shown and described in relation to the bottom carriage'it 50 is obvious that the particular mounting may be employed at any point in the length of the emplacing member to give the outer section of said member both vertical and horizontal positions of adjustment.

I claim:

1. In a gun mount, a support having a top plate and a bottom plate, a vertical hinge pin between the plates, a. horizontal pivot pin passing through the vertical pin and mounted in the top plate of the support, a guide block on the bottom plate of the support, a shoe slidable on the guide block and receiving the lower end of the vertical pin, a trail mounted on the vertical pin for swinging movement, a yoke having arms embracing the shoe and having a vertical slot in each arm, a block slidable in each slot, trunnions carried by the shoe and journaled in the blocks, and means for displacing the yoke and holding it in position of displacement.

2. In a gun mount, a support having a top plate and a bottom plate, a vertical hinge pin between the plates, a horizontal pivot pin passing through the vertical pin and mounted in the top plate of the support, a guide block on the bottom plate of. the support, a shoe slidable on the guide block and receiving the lower end of the vertical pin, a trail mounted on the vertical pin, for swinging movement and means for displacing the shoe and holding it in position of displacement.

3. In a gun mount, a support, a vertical hinge pin trunnioned at its upper end in the support, means on the support for guiding the lower end or" the vertical pin, a trail mounted on the vertical pin for swinging movement, and means for moving the vertical pin about its trunnions and holding it in position of adjustment.

ELMER C. GOEBERT. 

